Eye of the Beholder
by anonyreaderfan
Summary: A one shot non canon set between S2 – Ep17 and S2 -Ep18. Lincoln fulfills his duty as a transitioner for Raina.


Disclaimer: Agents of Shield is the property of ABC and Marvel Comics. No copyright infringement is intended.

~ X ~

Thanks to by7the7sea for the title and a typo review.

~ X ~

Lincoln paused at the threshold of the darkened room. The contrast between the bright sunlight and the dark interior was too much for his eyes. He blinked while they adjusted. He turned his head from side to side, but there was no movement for him to focus on.

As his eyes gradually became accustomed to the dim light, he saw a black cloaked figure sitting motionless in the corner. He purposely made his voice cheerful. "I brought you something to eat."

He looked around and placed a vase holding a perfect yellow flower blossom on a nearby bureau before placing the plate he held in his other hand in front of her. "It's a really good sandwich. I already had one."

Her head was not turned towards him. He followed what he thought was her line of sight to see the flower he had picked for her.

She spoke in a low voice more to herself than him. "I used to wear dresses with flowers."

She stood and walked over to the bureau. A claw emerged from one of the long flowing sleeves, and she gently touched a petal with one nail. A bitter laugh escaped her. "No more flower dresses."

Lincoln, shifting his weight, wet his lips with his tongue. "Why can't you wear dresses again?"

Raina flung back the hood revealing a head covered in black thorns and yellow eyes. A sneer distorted her features as she challenged him. "Wouldn't a dress look pretty with this head on top of it?"

Lincoln walked slowly closer. He took his time, stopping when a slight flinch on her part indicated he was invading her personal space. "You look different, not ugly."

"What part of me isn't ugly?" Her eyes lowered as she spoke, afraid of what she would see in his.

He gradually moved closer and placed two long fingers under her chin. When she made no move to reject him, he gently lifted her head so she looked up at him. "I happen to like yellow eyes."

She laughed wildly at first, but as he stayed serious, her laughter stopped. She searched his eyes without quite meeting them. As she quieted down, he smiled and she caught her breath at the warmth of it. She lowered her lids concentrating on the feel of his fingers on her skin, relishing the touch of another human being after so long. As if sensing her enjoyment, he stayed still until she opened her eyes and stepped back. He dropped his hand only when she slid away from the contact.

"Why don't you eat the sandwich?" As she started to shake her head in denial, he pleaded. "Just a couple of bites." She hesitated, and he pressed his advantage. "Please."

He looked so expectant that she agreed just so he would stop pestering her.

She sat down at the table pushing back the long sleeves exposing her claws. She hesitated, glancing sideways at him, reluctant to have him watch her eat.

He quickly swiveled his head looking around and spotted the lotion mixture he had created and given Gordon to apply to her thorns. "How about I put some of this on while you eat?"

She frowned, hunching a shoulder, followed by a quick jerk of her head. Not a very gracious response, but he took it as an acceptance. He opened the vial and carefully spread the thick mixture on the pads of his fingers. He rubbed them together bringing the fluid to body temperature.

He moved behind her and gently massaged one of the black protrusions. "Let me know if the pressure isn't right."

A grunt was the only response. He was gratified that she had taken a bite of her sandwich and was slowly, albeit mechanically, chewing. He carefully oiled the spikes that Gordon hadn't gotten too. The application made a definite difference, and it was easy to see where the inhuman had left off. The ones he had done looked healthy while the untouched ones were scaly and cracking. "This stuff is pretty effective, if I do say so myself."

She didn't reply so he used a pinky to massage her scalp between the thorns. She sighed and leaned back. His eyes opened wider when she relaxed and he risked a quick lean to peek sideways at her. Her eyes were partially closed, and he was pleased when she swallowed. It was a good sign if she was taking in nourishment.

"Are you still having the daytime, ah, dreams?" He quietly asked as he removed his hands to pour more of the liquid onto his fingertips.

She started and jerked her head slightly to the side as if searching for the missing feel of his hands and then faced forward again. She was quiet for a moment before seeming to reach a decision. "Yeah. I hate it." She paused and when she spoke again her tone was bitter. "Skye. Skye happy. Skye laughing."

Lincoln lowered his gaze for a moment before saying, "It's not all roses for her either. Adjusting is hard for all of us."

Raina snorted and viciously kicked a nearby chair away from her, knocking it over on its side. "Yeah, so tough, for beautiful Skye." She mimicked Lincoln. "Adjusting is so hard for her."

Lincoln quietly walked over and in one swift motion used a sneaker-clad foot to flip the chair upright again. He then used a hip to push it back near Raina. He sat and laughed when she looked at him, frowning under lowered brows. He held his hands out in front of him for her inspection. "Greasy. Didn't want to get it all over everything."

She nodded in understanding. As he reached a hand out to the front of her head, she recoiled. He stopped to softly persuade her. "It really is good for you."

She grudgingly leaned her head towards him. As he continued coating and massaging, he coaxed, "How about another bite?"

"You eat it!" she snapped.

"Okay."

She blinked at the response but saw that he was serious. He jerked his chin at the other half of the sandwich. "You're gonna have to help me. My hands are a mess."

The first smile in many days broke out. It was tiny and lopsided, but it was undeniably a smile. She hesitated and then picked up the bread in her claws. She brought it to his mouth, and without hesitation he took a huge bite.

Her claw brushed his face. She inwardly winced, but relaxed when he didn't appear fazed by it. He chewed happily while he concentrated on working each thorn. The serious expression on his face amused her for some reason.

She stared straight ahead. "I used to listen to my Grandmother tell stories about how our family was special. That we could develop powers." A harsh unamused laugh followed that admission. "I used to dream that I would be one of the special ones. That I would be the one who developed powers." She bowed her head even lower. "But when I dreamed I was imaging something like you. That I would still be me, but special."

"I used to be beautiful." She had no idea why she blurted that out, but for some reason it was important to her that this handsome young man knew that once she had been desirable. That men had looked at her and wanted her. That women had looked at her and envied her.

Lincoln swallowed the mouthful of food with a visible gulp and tilted his head to move his gaze from the top of her head to her eyes. She met his look fully for the first time. He lowered one hand from her head and stroked her cheek with the non-greasy side of one hand. "Different has its own beauty." He grinned, and the sight made her catch her breath. "Gordon is certainly bowled over by you."

She thought about it for a moment and reluctantly admitted to herself the probable truth of his statement. He nudged her knee with his. "Time for another bite."

"I thought you said you ate already?"

"I did, but I have a healthy appetite, and this is good."

She brought the sandwich to his mouth, and he took another huge bite. She hesitated and then ran her claw down the side of his cheek, fingering the grunge on his face. When he just looked amused, she moved her claws to his hair, twining the strands and then releasing them. Her skin felt things differently now. She hadn't wanted to touch her body, repulsed by it, but she welcomed the experience of feeling his skin. He smiled at her, but continued his work.

Finally he was satisfied and lowered his hands, careful not to touch his clothes. He sighed with pleasure. "Perfect."

Their faces weren't that far apart. She reached out a claw and touched him near his eye. "I love blue eyes."

He laughed. "Aw, shucks," he joked, "I bet you say that to all the boys." He sobered up and added, "And I like yellow eyes." He turned his hands upward to look at them. "I've gotta clean these." He stood up pushing back his chair and headed for the sink. Gordon came in as he was soaping up.

He looked from Raina's freshly oiled thorns and the remnants of a sandwich, and then over to Lincoln. For someone who couldn't see, he seemed to have a remarkable grasp of the situation. "Get going, shock boy. I wanna talk to Raina."

Lincoln smiled at the eyeless man and then winked at Raina. "You still got it."

A wan smile was her only response, but Gordon frowned at him and pointed to the door. Lincoln grabbed the plate and shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. He talked around a mouthful of food. "I'll bring you supper tonight."

Raina hesitated and then spoke in a rush. "Bring yours too."

Lincoln blinked and then nodded. "I will."

Gordon frowned. He waited until Lincoln left before he spoke. "He can be a pain. He has no idea what we go through. If he annoys you, tell me, and I'll make him leave you alone."

She shook her head. "He doesn't annoy me." She pulled the hood over her head and turned on her chair to face the wall.

The gesture, excluding him, bothered Gordon. "Let me—"

"I need to be alone now."

Gordon reached out a hand, hesitated, and then let it fall to his side. He nodded at her back and left.

Raina's eyes under the hood were unseeing. The visions overwhelmed her blocking out all normal sensations: sight, sound, smell, and feel.

_A laughing Skye joyously danced in the sunlight in a field of flowers. She reached out a hand to a smiling Lincoln, and he took it. She stepped up closer to him while he suddenly looked uncertain. She gazed up into his eyes and slowly lifted her lips—_

"No! No! No! No!" Raina jumped up banishing the visions from her mind. Never before now had she been able to stop them. Her chest heaved with the intensity of her breathing. Her claws dug into her palms drawing blood. Her yellow eyes flashed. She ignored the pain of the cuts, clenching her hands into tight fists and raising them and her eyes to the sky that was blocked by the ceiling. She screamed a bitter promise. "You will not, Skye. Not him."

~ FIN ~


End file.
